Sustainability — though a relatively new term — is an old concept. We take it to mean "Create places that serve well the needs of the current generation and have a sustaining role in future requirements, while minimizing the impact of development on the environment."

From a practical point of view, this means we are:

• Responsible builders. We build because buildings are needed, and to create better places for people to live, learn, work, travel and play. We recognize that the supply of land is finite... a resource to be treated with care, and put to its highest and best use.

• Responsible consumers of energy and other natural resources. Waste benefits no one, and it's uneconomic. We are practical people, and through the development and property management process we ask questions such as "Why make occupying a building more costly than it needs to be by having it consume more electricity than necessary?" and "Why release more stormwater into local sewers if it can be reduced, contained or otherwise reused?"

• Responsible in our objective to guide new development towards existing urban and suburban centers, in particular near mass transit, where people already live and infrastructure is in place.

• Strong advocates of mixed-use developments with greater density, which encourage walkability, foster community and conserve energy.

In recent years, as the condition of the global environment has become more apparent, we've challenged ourselves to do more as a developer and property manager in the interest of reducing energy consumption and our impact on the built environment’s carbon footprint.

These are examples of some of our successes:

• 290 Broadway in New York City: 290 Broadway, also known as the Ted Weiss Federal Building, opened in 1992. LCOR developed the 1.3 million square foot building for the U.S. General Services Administration. The 34-story tower was the first federal building to receive Energy Star certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, reflecting deployment of a highly energy-efficient air handling system and high-performance lighting fixtures, among other things. According to EPA, buildings that have earned the Energy Star label are 40% more efficient than average buildings, and cost nearly $1.00 less per square foot per year to operate based on energy consumption.

• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Headquarters Campus in Alexandria, Virginia: This 2.5 million square foot campus, which consolidates about 10,000 people in five linked buildings for the federal agency, opened in 2003. The facility received Energy Star certification in 2007 after an extensive application process and monitoring and review of the buildings’ performance. Significant energy-efficient features include a campus-wide chilled water loop, enthalpy wheel rotary air-to-air heat exchangers in each building that allow the recovery of energy from conditioned building exhaust air, high-efficiency motors with variable frequency drives, and state-of-the-art building and lighting controls.

• 545 Madison Avenue in New York City: In 2008 LCOR opened 545 Madison Avenue, following a complete rehab of the 17-story high-rise office building originally constructed in 1955. The project received LEED Gold certification (for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) from the U.S. Green Building Council, recognizing the facility’s highly efficient heating and cooling systems; glass façade, which reduces demand for electricity for lighting; materials, many of which were reused or recycled, with some fabricated locally; reflective roof; and sidewalks designed to deflect light and heat, among other things. The project was also recognized by the Urban Land Institute in a book on green-building retrofits.

• North Bethesda Center in North Bethesda, Maryland: The first apartment building to open in this mixed-used development outside Washington, D.C. features a 17,500 square foot green roof intended to reduce or eliminate heat gain in the building (thus reducing its energy demands), while improving the building’s overall waterproofing and drainage. The landscaped roof is composed of multiple layers of soil and stones and features a combination of perennials, flowering ground cover sedums and prairie grasses. The first office building at North Bethesda Center also is being planned to include a green roof as well as other features that should help it achieve LEED Silver certification.

Green roof on Harris Teeter food market at North Bethesda Center in Maryland